Leaders set strategy to turn goals into reality—whether it's sustainability, faster speed to market, stronger leaders, or a clearer purpose. The strategic plan isn't where execution breaks down. It breaks after the offsite—when priorities collide—and decisions revert to hierarchy, politics, or local discretion. In most organizations, it isn’t a strategy problem. It’s a strategy-to-execution system problem. Only a small fraction of employees—often cited at around 5%—can explain their company strategy in a way that guides their performance. When a strategic plan is built in a tight circle and only communicated at a high level, the workforce lacks what execution requires: who makes which decisions, under what conditions, the decision criteria, and explicit trade-offs. Performance and commitment erode—not because people don’t care about the strategy, but because the organization can’t reliably tell them what “aligned” looks like when the real work gets complicated. An “inclusive strategy” can either reduce risk or amplify it. The difference lies in whether leaders design the decision system: who has input, who decides, what criteria govern choices, and how the enterprise resolves conflict without relitigating the strategy. If strategic execution is lacking and employees “aren’t committed,” the practical question isn’t whether being more inclusive matters. It’s whether you gave the organization a usable decision architecture—or only a plan. Benefits of Inclusive Strategic Thinking and Planning A strategy is simply a plan of action to achieve a stated goal. A business strategy aims to align followers and teams toward achieving a shared goal from the company's vision. The best strategies in business meet the following four criteria: Developed inclusive of followers, Focus on helping others for the greater good, Account for mixed future realities, Are implemented. “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality” — William Bennis In this short video, Gary Hamel discusses why leaders must shift their roles from authors to editors and why traditional strategic planning must die. Leaders must comprehend various complex situations. Strategic thinking uses critical thinking to consider the fundamental business drivers and challenges specific to an organization. It is about awareness of what could be and the foresight to help the organization be successful. The following video breaks down the difference between strategic planning and strategic thinking. Leveraging diversity enhances strategic thinking, creativity, engagement, and strategy quality. Although achieving complete transparency and involving every possible stakeholder is likely not feasible, there is high value for inclusive leaders and organizations. Research has demonstrated a direct positive correlation between individual commitment to strategy and involvement in strategy development. Inclusive strategic thinking impacts the organization's bottom line, leading to a leader's success and significance. When leaders solicit ideas from outside the traditionally involved management team, it enhances the creativity of those ideas and reinforces that leaders value employees. Creative ideas that reflect the customer's stated and unstated needs are likely to come from those with no stake in the status quo and who are closest to the customer. Being transparent with access to strategic input and processes enhances follower outputs. When the employees responsible for implementing strategic plans are the same employees contributing to it, there is greater awareness of tradeoffs, decision criteria, engagement, and firm performance. 5 Key Leadership Strategic Thinking Leadership Competencies A leader's ability to question, connect ideas, and evaluate options improves strategic thinking. Here are five strategic thinking leadership competencies that are often underdeveloped: Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 1: Scanning When searching for weak signals, businesses are essentially delving into the realm of potential disruptions and opportunities that may not be readily apparent. These signals are often subtle, emerging trends or environmental changes that could significantly impact the future. By actively seeking out these weak signals, organizations can gain a competitive edge by being better prepared to adapt and respond to evolving market conditions. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 2: Visioning Clarifying the organization's shared purpose and vision with group benefits is crucial to fostering a strong sense of unity and direction among team members. By clearly defining the common goals and aspirations everyone is working toward, individuals within the organization can align their efforts and collaborate toward a shared vision. This process not only fosters a sense of belonging and camaraderie but also enhances employee motivation and engagement. A culture of teamwork and cooperation can be cultivated by emphasizing the collective benefits of pursuing the organization's shared purpose and vision. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 3: Reframing Encouraging a shift in perspective by questioning established beliefs and exploring innovative ideas for what lies ahead. Challenging current assumptions opens the door to new opportunities and unexpected solutions. Embracing fresh thinking allows us to break free from conventional boundaries and envision a future filled with exciting possibilities. It is through this process of reevaluation and creativity that we pave the way for progress and growth, sparking a journey toward a more dynamic and promising tomorrow. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 4: Making Common Sense An intellectual process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating data. It involves a series of cognitive activities that require critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Conceptualizing is the ability to form abstract ideas or mental representations based on the information. Applying involves applying these concepts or using them in real-world situations to achieve a specific goal or outcome. Analyzing requires breaking down complex information into smaller parts to understand their meaning and significance. Synthesizing involves combining different elements or ideas to create a coherent whole or new understanding. Evaluating is assessing the data's validity, relevance, or quality and the conclusions drawn from it. Strategic Thinking Leadership Competency # 5: Systems Thinking This methodology involves considering the whole system rather than individual parts in isolation. By examining how different elements interact and influence one another, researchers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying dynamics. A holistic approach encourages researchers to consider the broader context in which these interactions occur. Factors such as environmental influences, historical background, and cultural norms can all significantly shape outcomes. By incorporating these external elements into the analysis, a more nuanced and accurate understanding of the interrelationships between different parts can be achieved. Various psychometric leadership assessments can measure an executive's strategic and critical-thinking capabilities. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is a valid leadership assessment based on recognizing assumptions, evaluating arguments, and drawing conclusions. For more information on the Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal, visit www.talentlens.com. In addition to measurement, leaders looking to improve strategic thinking skills need time for deliberate practice and coaching feedback to shape strategic thinking habits beyond motivation and commitment. Partnering with a qualified executive coach is proven to improve strategic thinking skills. How to be Inclusive with Strategic Planning and Thinking Before taking an inclusive approach to strategic planning and thinking, senior leadership needs to agree on the process, participating stakeholders, and the organization's business vision, values, and mission. For larger hybrid organizations , it will likely be helpful to first place participants into groups based on their planned involvement, such as crowd, selected crowd, business leadership, and strategic planning decisions team. Finding a user-friendly system for all stakeholders is vital when choosing strategic planning technology. A generic, inclusive strategic planning process engages others in ideation, refinement, and development. Ideation. The first step is to listen . Stakeholders are invited to submit ideas using a planning platform. It is crucial to select a readily accessible technology and use multiple communication channels to encourage participation in the strategic planning process. Refinement. Ideas are tagged and compared through comparison sorts. Stakeholders are invited to prioritize the submitted ideas using pre-defined criteria such as cultural alignment, cost, quality, and timeliness. This phase also includes a checkpoint for leaders to request additional information and to accept, revise, or reject ideas. The use of scores makes it easier to filter ideas. Development. After collecting and refining the ideas, it is time to transform them into a strategic plan. Stakeholders across the business are asked to take the refined strategy and develop a detailed plan. A strategic plan typically includes a vision statement, mission statement, goals, objectives, tactics, measures, and a review timeframe. How to Overcome 3 Inclusive Strategic Planning and Thinking Barriers Advances in technology enable a more inclusive, timely, and less costly approach. However, an inclusive approach has some potential drawbacks to address rather than ignore, such as bias, agility, and communication effectiveness. Strategic Planning & Thinking Barrier # 1: Bias When being inclusive, leaders must avoid potential bias toward certain stakeholder groups. There is no need to go through the work of being inclusive only to have a process that devalues different inputs based on a tendency toward a particular group's feedback. Approaches that promote anonymity of feedback are demonstrated to reduce bias and not negatively impact output buy-in. Strategic Planning & Thinking Barrier # 2: Agility Leaders need to pay attention to time and effort when being inclusive. It is easy to be less agile and get caught in analysis paralysis when being inclusive. Solid project management processes can help leaders avoid the trap of over-analysis. Strategic Planning & Thinking Barrier # 3: Communication Effectiveness Thoughtful technology integration has many positive impacts, but it is not without challenges. Numerous studies have shown that  different communication media  effectively support in-the-moment feedback, information sharing, communication cues, emotion, and message customization. Scientific research likely does not need to be conducted to demonstrate that face-to-face communication is the most effective. If your strategy requires cross-functional behavior change, then commitment is not something you request—it’s something you engineer through clarity: decision rights, prioritization rules, transparency on tradeoffs, and consequences that match what is said. If you want to pressure-test whether your strategic process is producing real alignment—or merely expanding participation—start a confidential conversation focused on governance and execution design. Start a Leadership Strategy Conversation (confidential, peer-level): https://calendly.com/organizational-talent/leadership-strategy-conversation If what’s missing is the foundation—authority design, operating assumptions, role clarity, and execution expectations—begin with Leadership Reset  as the system baseline. Key Summary Points It is hard to argue that being more inclusive is a bad leadership habit. A business strategy aims to align followers and teams toward achieving a shared goal from the company's vision. The best strategies are developed inclusive of followers, focus on helping others for the greater good, account for mixed future realities, and are implemented. A leader's ability to question, connect ideas, and evaluate options improves strategic thinking. Making common sense requires critical thinking skills. Various psychometric leadership assessments can measure an executive's critical thinking capability. The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) is a valid leadership assessment based on recognizing assumptions, evaluating arguments, and drawing conclusions. Leaders looking to improve their strategic thinking skills need time for deliberate practice and coaching feedback to shape strategic thinking habits beyond motivation and commitment. A generic, inclusive strategic planning process includes engaging others in creativity, refinement, and development. Advances in technology enable a more inclusive, timely, and less costly approach. However, an inclusive approach has some potential drawbacks that must be addressed rather than ignored, such as bias, agility, and communication effectiveness. References: Amrollahi, A., & Rowlands, B. (2017). Collaborative open strategic planning: A method and case study. Information Technology & People (West Linn, Or.), 30(4), 832-852. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-12-2015-0310 Bennis, W. G. (2008). Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. Journal of Property Management, 73 (5), 13. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 Proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. M., & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Kaplan RS, Norton DP. The office of strategy management. Harv Bus Rev. 2005 Oct;83(10):72-80 Nwachukwu, C. E., Chladkova, H., & Olatunji, F. (2018). The relationship between employee commitment to strategy implementation and employee satisfaction. Trends Economics and Management, 12(31), 46-56. doi:10.13164/trends.2018.31.45

Years ago, I led an executive search for a top leadership position in a fast-paced, results-driven business. After the interviews, the hiring team complimented the candidate's strategic decision-making, innovative ideas, strong work habits, and organizational commitment . But, the CEO and hiring team expressed concerns about the candidate's lack of executive presence. These kinds of comments are not unusual. They were voicing that being intelligent and committed is not enough to be effective as a strategic leader. To advance your career, you need to be clear on the stated and unstated expectations of leaders. Here are the ten characteristics of executive presence, how to know if you are maximizing your executive presence, and three tips for developing an authentic executive presence. Why does executive presence matter? Like leadership, presence can be a difficult concept to define. There is limited peer-reviewed research on the topic and an obvious tension in the literature about whether executive presence is more than impression management. When asked to provide a meaningful description of executive presence, most employees say, "I will know it when I see it." When considering the concept of executive presence, comparing it with leadership power and influence can be helpful. Executive presence has formal and informal aspects, and it can be applied for good and bad purposes. Perception is not reality, but making an impression is inevitable. Executive presence is not inherent to who you are, but rather, it is a perception of others. Perceptions can be based on impressions formed during brief interactions like a passing hallway conversation and evaluations of actions based on many observations over time. “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” Will Rogers Evidence suggests that 89% of leaders and managers believe executive presence helps you get ahead, and 78% think a weak presence holds you back. Also, executive presence was considered to impact leadership success directly. There is always an opportunity to make an excellent, not-so-great, or wrong impression. 10 Characteristics of Executive Presence The foundational attributes of executive presence are described as gravitas, communication, and appearance. Evidence suggests the following are ten key characteristics that contribute to your degree of executive presence: Reputation from current or previous roles and impressive accomplishments, awards, or networks with others perceived to be important. Nonverbal communication and physical appearance. Projected confidence, such as being calm and demonstrating self-control in high-pressure situations. Clear leadership communication, voice modulation when speaking, and speaking up to be heard. Interpersonal skills that engage others, such as being charming and friendly. Consistent interpersonal integrity. Behaving consistently with personal moral values. Intellect and expertise that results in excellent judgment and wisdom. Outcome-oriented, such as being results-driven, flexible, committed to following through, and delivering results through others. Using power to enforce compliance. How do you know if you are maximizing your executive presence? Like the rearview mirror on the passenger side of a car, it is dangerous not to realize that your perspective is somewhat affected by your point of view and that your brain is on autopilot. Consider how you would answer the following questions by thinking back over the past month using a scale of never, sometimes, or always: Do you state your purpose when you meet with others? Do you explain why your point of view is different and valuable? Do you listen to and connect with others? Are you aware of your body language and physical appearance? Do you bring energy to your discussions? Are you using phrases like "it's my position" instead of "I think?" Do others know your values, and do you walk the talk? Are you vulnerable and assertive during challenging conversations? Do you control your emotional responses when situations become tense? Do you look for opportunities to leverage and grow your network? If you would answer never or sometimes to any of these questions, you are likely missing opportunities to strengthen your executive presence. How to build an authentic executive presence You are not born with executive presence. And you don't have to fake it. Here are three tips for creating an authentic executive presence. Executive Presence Tip #1: Build Your Emotional Intelligence Your emotional intelligence is comprised of your degree of self-awareness, self-management, motivation, empathy, and interpersonal skills. Practice identifying, evaluating, and expressing your emotions. Also, work on recognizing and responding to the feelings of others. Executive Presence Tip #2: Get Feedback It is not uncommon to have hidden strengths and blind spots. Identify five people who know you well and would be comfortable giving you constructive feedback. Using the questions from above, ask them to rate how well you are doing. Working with an executive coach and using a 360-degree survey can help you overcome some common barriers to getting good feedback. Executive Presence Tip #3: Spend Time in Reflection Effective reflection involves doubting, pausing, and being curious about the ordinary. Use a journaling app like Day One to capture your thoughts, feelings, successes, and frustrations. This approach has been demonstrated to be incredibly impactful in improving new skills. For example, when building any habit, start small and tie it to an existing practice, like your routine, before leaving work for the day. Use the questions in this article to be the focal point of your reflection. Remember to take a balanced approach to both strengths and weaknesses. "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." Wayne Dyer Key Summary Points Executive presence can help you enhance and maximize your career success. Executive presence is not something inherent to who you are, but rather, it is a perception of others. It is not uncommon to have hidden strengths and blind spots relative to your executive presence characteristics. You are not born with executive presence. Emotional intelligence, feedback, and critical reflection are three tools to develop an authentic executive presence. What are your executive presence hidden strengths or blind spots? References Bates, S. (2016). All the leader you can be: The science of achieving extraordinary executive presence. McGraw-Hill. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Dagley, G., & Gaskin, C. (2014). Understanding executive presence: Perspectives of business professionals. Counseling Psychology Journal . 66(3). pp. 197-211. Shirey, M. (2013). Executive presence for strategic influence. The Journal of Nursing Administration. 43(7/8). Pp. 373-376.

Understanding Leadership Pressure Leadership creates pressure. In the Netflix series The Playbook , Doc Rivers shares the philosophy that inspired the Boston Celtics to a championship and his response to racism while coaching the Los Angeles Clippers. One valuable lesson he imparts is that "pressure is a privilege." What is the alternative to leadership pressure? No productive conflict? No aligned goals? No board meetings? No difficult customers? As an executive coach , I often speak with leaders. A common theme is the immense pressure they face. Leaders can quickly feel overwhelmed by the complex and fast-paced digital business environment. Stress is a serious issue for many in leadership roles. A recent global study of CEOs and C-suite executives found that 56% are burned out, up 52% from the previous year. Leading successful organizations creates personal and professional situations that heighten stress. It may seem logical to view pressure as a negative to be avoided, but should you? Here are three reasons to embrace the leadership journey, including the pressure it brings, along with four tips for making better decisions under pressure. "A soft, easy life is not worth living if it impairs the fiber of brain and heart and muscle. We must dare to be great, and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage." — Theodore Roosevelt Reason 1: Pressure Accelerates Change One reason to embrace pressure is that it accelerates change, and leadership is fundamentally about change. In the book Leading Change , renowned change management expert John Kotter emphasizes that overcoming complacency requires a sense of urgency. Leaders in a fast-changing world must articulate their vision while remaining open to necessary adjustments due to the world's turbulence. Leading change creates pressure and stressful situations. Research from UC Berkeley shows that while too little or too much stress can cause anxiety and health issues, a moderate amount of stress can enhance performance and health. Pressure drives leaders and organizations to explore new directions and reject the status quo. No organization wants to remain stagnant. Pressure serves as a powerful change agent for leaders eager to accelerate transformation. Reason 2: Pressure Creates Learning Leaders and organizations must learn at a pace that matches change. Continuous learning is essential because the future is unpredictable. You are either ripe and rotting or green and growing. But shouldn't the learning process be free from stress? A foundational study on learning found that an element of struggle significantly enhances long-term retention. While pressure may slow the learning rate temporarily, it ultimately improves retention and the transfer of knowledge. Pressure creates desirable difficulties, enhancing the opportunity for personal and professional growth . "Usually, if you have tremendous pressure, it’s because an opportunity comes along. Give me the ball. Give me the problem to solve. Let’s figure this out. Let’s go." — Billie Jean King Reason 3: Pressure Creates Purpose High-pressure situations reveal more about who you are than your specific skills. Often, it takes the pressure of a crisis to break away from the routine. Pressure challenges assumptions about our purpose or the organization's purpose. Living a life of purpose is unparalleled. Studies show that leading with purpose results in higher personal satisfaction, performance, innovation, and economic growth. "Don't aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater." — Viktor Frankl How to Make Your Best Decision Under Pressure The way you approach decisions under pressure can significantly impact the outcomes for you and those you lead. Here are four tips to help you make your best decisions: Decision-Making Tip 1: Visualize the Desired Outcome Athletes often visualize themselves successfully achieving their goals before events. Numerous studies link creative visualization to improved performance, goal achievement, and stress management. Research supports that creative practice boosts our confidence and competence. Check out this short video from an Olympic athlete on the power of mental imagery. Decision-Making Tip 2: Be Curious Asking questions can reveal alternative scenarios. The field of strategic foresight offers tools that help leaders see around corners, leading to greater confidence and competence in decision-making. Tools like the Futures Wheel, STEEPLE, and scenario planning can help leaders and organizations break free from a fixed mindset. Decision-Making Tip 3: Don't Get Stuck on Stupid One of my favorite leadership quotes comes from a military commander who served after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The community was paralyzed and lacked direction. In an interview, the commander stated he didn't know what specific time frames looked like but could guarantee that recovery operations would not be "stuck on stupid." Leaders who are action-oriented and make decisions for the right reasons can overcome the fear of failure that often accompanies pressure. Decision-Making Tip 4: Avoid Isolation Many leaders report that their organizations do not provide the support needed to manage increasing stress levels. A leadership coach facilitates experimentation and self-discovery by applying insights from coaching conversations. Skillful executive coaching enables you to "dance in the present moment" and take necessary actions aligned with your values. Modern organizations resemble pressure cookers. Effective leadership acts as a pressure control valve, releasing pressure to prevent catastrophic failures while increasing it when necessary to maximize performance. The reality of a volatile work environment, leadership pressure isn’t something to escape—it’s something to understand and manage well. The leaders who thrive over time don’t carry the pressure alone or ignore it; they create space to think clearly, test assumptions, and decide with intention rather than reaction. In a volatile environment, clarity becomes a competitive advantage. Where might you be experiencing leadership pressure right now—and what decisions would benefit from slowing down long enough to think clearly? References: Bjork, E. L., & Bjork, R. A. (2011). Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning. Campbell, M., Baltes, J.I., Martin, A., & Meddings, K. (2019). The stress of leadership. Center for Creative Leadership. DDI. 2023 Global Leadership Forecast. Development Dimensions International. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Ekeocha, T. (2015). The effects of visualization and guided imagery in sports performance. Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change . Harvard Business Review Press. Ottesen, K. (2019). Tennis icon Billie Jean King on fighting for equal pay for women: Pressure is a privilege. The Washington Post. Pomerantz (Eds.) & FABBS Foundation, Psychology and the real world: Essays illustrating fundamental contributions to society (p. 56–64). Worth Publishers. Powell, A. (2018). When science meets mindfulness. The Harvard Gazette. Quinn, R. E., & Thakor, A. V. (2019). The economics of higher purpose: Eight counterintuitive steps for creating a purpose-driven organization . Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Incorporated. Sanders, R. (2013). Researchers find out why some stress is good for you. Berkley News.

Each of us has two games at play as we go about our days: an inner game and an outer game. As a leader, whether it's how you manage the organizations operating budget, establish the agenda for a one-to-one coaching session, or make decisions about the annual strategic plan. These leadership actions are observable habits shaped by your inner game. It is the inner game that is quietly controlling the outer game. Like a new piece of technology in the workplace, the technologies features or outer game behaviors often get the most attention. Still, the technologies operating system or leader's inner game virtues, character, and values deserve equal attention and focus. Forming good habits and breaking leadership bad habits includes understanding and transforming the inner you. Why Transforming the Inner You Matters? Socrates suggested that "to know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." Several research studies demonstrate the proven benefits of a leader's inner game. Here are a few recent studies: In a seven-year study of 9,000 employees and 84 executive leaders in Fortune 500 and 100 organizations, evidence suggested that leaders with higher character ratings had a return on net assets of nearly five times those rated lower. Evidence from a large-scale empirical study involving 1,207 employees 1,341 customers suggested that the influence of virtues on employee and customer identification, distinctiveness, and satisfaction has a significantly positive correlation with all dimensions. In another study involving 2,000 manufacturing companies, researchers discovered that virtues had a more significant positive impact on organizational performance and quality than management control processes. Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are. –Coach John Wooden. Understanding Your Inner Game Although not frequently discussed in the workplace, a leader's virtues, character, and values are foundational attributes to effective leadership . Aristotle considered virtues a habit or disposition to think, act, or feel in the right way that is not deficient or in excess and toward a good goal. Virtues are a part of an individual's distinctive character that influences personal values. A leader's virtues and character will govern actions when presented with a new or unknown situation, which accounts for most leadership situations. Effective leadership involves a combination of character, competence, and commitment to challenging work. The following figure is a model that depicts the foundational relationship between virtues, character, and values that create habits resulting in a leader's performance. Because virtues, character, and values are often considered complex and ambiguous topics to discuss and measure they are often left out of the discussion when considering leadership development in the workplace. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education. –Martin Luther King, Jr. Like competencies, values, character, and virtues can and should be intentionally developed. Evidence in virtue and character development suggests that an individual's development should include: knowledge transfer reasoning and practice. Steps To Transform the Inner You Striving for better habits is a competitive advantage available to any leader looking for a powerful point of differentiation. Just because you haven't already achieved the leadership success and significance you want doesn't mean you can't now. "Nothing changes without personal transformation." W. E. Deming Character development is primarily developed through role modeling, feedback, practice, and reflection. However, feedback on values, character, and gaps in virtues are not commonly provided in the workplace, given the complexity of these conversations. Additionally, leaders typically spend little to no time reflecting on character experiences because of blind spots. There are likely inner game attributes you find important that others are unaware of and values you demonstrate that other people see, but you don't. Researchers Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham captured this dynamic in their Johari Window model. Using an assessment like the Character Strengths Survey from the VIA Institute is an excellent place to build self-awareness and uncover inner game assumptions and beliefs. The free VIA Character Strength Survey provides insights into 24-character strengths in rank order. Character strengths are values in action or positive traits for thinking, feeling, and behaving that benefit the leader and others. The VIA has been completed by over 15 million people globally, and all of the scales have satisfactory reliability. While knowing where you are is the beginning, it is likely more important to know where you are going. Engaging a dedicated and skillful executive coach is another way you can improve character feedback and purposeful character reflection on your inner game. Executive coaching focuses on moving toward the leader's future, assessing where they are currently, their goals for the future, and exploring and discovering the steps to get to their desired future. The ultimate goal is a change (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal, or motivational). Dedicated mentors can also support character development by openly reflecting on insights gained from experience. The most effective mentoring is mentee-driven and mentor-guided. Mentoring is a dynamically reciprocal, active learning process. A mentor asks questions and shares personal past successes and failures. A coach uses questions but focuses on the leader, not the coach's experience. Conclusion: Transforming the Inner You Modern business executives are running on a metaphorical treadmill every day at work. Time is precious and a scarce resource. Leadership development is one of the best and most important steps a leader can make toward success and significance. Your inner game is primarily developed through role modeling, feedback, and reflection. Both executive coaching and mentoring provide massive benefits. However, this does not mean there isn't the best choice for you, given your situation and unique context. An integrated approach to developing your inner and outer game unlocks the ability to break bad leadership habits and create good ones. What inner transformation do you want to create, and how can you get started? Let's talk about how we can help you achieve your goals with transformational executive coaching and organizational solutions that work. References: Anderson, R. & Adams, W. (2016). Mastering leadership: An integrated framework for breakthrough performance and extraordinary business results. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Badaracco, J. (1997). Defining moments: When managers must choose between right and right. Harvard Business School Press. Brickhouse, Thomas C.; Smith, Nicholas D. (1994). Plato's Socrates. Oxford University Press. Chun, R. (2017). Organizational Virtue and performance: An empirical study of customers and employees. Journal of Business Ethics, 146(4), 869-881. Donada, C., Mothe, C., Nogatchewsky, G., & de Campos Ribeiro, G. (2019). The respective effects of virtues and inter-organizational management control systems on relationship quality and performance: Virtues win. Journal of Business Ethics, 154(1), 211-228. Pakaluk, M. (2005). Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: An introduction. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511802041 Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. (2017). A Framework for Character Education in Schools. University of Birmingham. Kiel, F. (2015). Return on character: The real reason leaders and their companies win. Harvard Business Review Press.

The world and workplace are changing fast, and if you're not a little confused, you're not likely paying attention. Many factors are contributing to the confusion, such as globalization and rapid advancements in technology. As a result, investments in continuous employee development are needed to stay relevant and avoid becoming obsolete . Investing in high-performing employee development is a proven strategy to enhance organizational competitiveness. Employee development helps organizations remain competitive by preparing the workforce for continuously shifting demands. Today's leaders are often challenged by both cost and time constraints associated with implementing continuous development strategies. This article presents a few evidence-based, low-cost, high-impact employee development ideas to help leaders address these concerns. Senior Leader Engagement Handing off development to the human resources function without senior leadership involvement puts training at risk. A senior leader's perceived engagement in development impacts the emphasis placed on the participants' learning. Research confirms that when leaders provided dedicated support to training, employee motivation and retention of the learning content improved. Employee Development Methods While managers may want to continuously develop their employees, they often lack the time or budget to make it happen. The following are lower-cost high-impact methods leaders can utilize for continuous development: Coaching: Good leaders will use existing coaching relationships to provide development feedback for their employees. Coaching with a development focus leads to improved morale and overall productivity. Reflection after feedback: Pausing for thought after receiving feedback improves the development investment made. Instead of pausing for reflection after development, companies, and leaders feeling the pressure to move quickly often continue providing more feedback and miss opportunities for individuals to learn and grow. After providing feedback simply try asking a question to create the space for focussed reflection such as, "what are you taking away from....?" Social media and Employee Networks: Integration of social media and networking into ongoing development is an inexpensive means of supporting employee development. Leaders and trainers may choose to be actively involved as group facilitators or they may simply initiate peer-to-peer learning networks. These networks create an inclusive environment allowing people from diverse backgrounds to collaborate toward attaining mastery. Mentoring: Internal company mentoring programs provide low-cost development for both the mentor and the mentee. Mentoring creates a reciprocal and collaborative relationship demonstrated to improve employee performance, sense of value, retention, and internal career progression. A Myth Exposed Unfortunately, some leaders perceive that developed employees are more likely to leave when an opportunity arises. However, research has confirmed that formal job training and job transition training are not connected to increased employee turnover risks. Only when an employee receives development they do not use does it increase the employee turnover risk. Looking ahead, leaders will benefit by recognizing the importance of continuous development and senior leader engagement in employee development investments. Development does not have to be expensive to have a high impact . References: Aslam, M. (2017). Professional development and networking for academic librarians. International Research: Journal of Library and Information Science, 7 (1) Dearstyne, B. W. (2010). Coaching for professional development: Managers should encourage, foster, and support employees' continual development as a way of helping them master changing work and keeping morale high. Especially in an economic environment where resources are limited, coaching and focusing on employees' professional development will help keep them motivated and productive. Information Management Journal, 44 (4), 36. Johansen, B., & Euchner, J. (2013). Navigating the VUCA world. Research-Technology Management, 56 (1), 10-15. doi:10.5437/08956308X5601003 Nelissen, J., Forrier, A., & Verbruggen, M. (2017). Employee development and voluntary turnover: Testing the employability paradox. Human Resource Management Journal, 27 (1), 152-168. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12136 Oh, H., Choi, Y., & Choi, M. (2013). Comparative analysis of OECD member countries’ competitive advantage in national human resource development system. Asia Pacific Education Review, 14 (2), 189-208. doi:10.1007/s12564-013-9255-z Towler, A., Watson, A., & Surface, E. (2014). Signaling the importance of training. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 29 (7), 829-849. doi:10.1108/JMP-03-2012-0092 Upcoming Webinar Series We know you are going to love these complementary leadership and professional development events! Organizational Talent Consulting’s webinar content is developed to help leaders meet today's complex workforce and digital challenges. Our free live webinars deliver superior leadership development based on the latest research with no travel costs. Participants interact directly in question-and-answer discussions with subject matter experts and authors on crucial topics to enhance expertise. Webinars are recorded and shared with participants for convenient on-demand access after the live event. Topics include leadership, strategic planning, coaching, change management, and more ( register and learn more ).

Have you ever found yourself in a meeting or, worse yet, leading a meeting where the sound of silence is deafening (forgive the 60's Simon and Garfunkel reference)? Questions are presented, updates are provided, and there is complete silence. Limited to no discussion, no debate, and just the noticeable absence of conversation. The evidence is overwhelming that a lack of thorough team discussion negatively impacts outcomes and organizational effectiveness. If you were researching team silence on a WebMD organizational version, the medical advisory would read: Caution: team silence can be a symptom of a severe organizational health issue and should not be ignored. Seek an intervention immediately. To remain competitive in today's complex and digital marketplace, leaders and teams need to communicate effectively. Diagnosing the Silence There are several potential contributing factors to a lack of communication during team meetings. Team members may be unwilling to engage because of: introversion, self-absorption, self-esteem, feeling distant from others, situational unease, lack of talent, a culture that reinforces behavioral silence norms, or a lack of trust. If the team is new, or the reason for the lack of team communication is not well understood, the use of the willingness to communicate ( WTC ) instrument can reveal helpful insights. McCroskey's WTC instrument assesses an individuals' desire to communicate and provides norms across multiple communication contexts, such as group discussions, meetings, and interpersonal conversations. Understanding the team's willingness to communicate baseline score helps level set communication expectations, understand the severity of the silence, and provide insights for needed intervention. Starting with Trust Although there are several different possible ways to solve a lack of team communication, trust is worth exploring first. According to the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer , recent trends indicate that trust is declining across society. Merriam-Webster.com defines trust as "the reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something." Trust takes place between team members, and it has to be earned. Trust is essential for teams to work together effectively, feel safe, and have a sense of belonging. The team leader should lead the trust intervention. The intervention should begin with investigating what, if anything, is potentially causing a loss of trust within the team. Patrick Lencioni's book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an excellent resource to help leaders assess if trust is absent within the team. In his book, Lencioni also provides many suggestions for improving trust. Team leaders and team members should also measure their trustworthiness. Authors Maister, Green, and Galford, in their book The Trusted Advisor, presented that trustworthiness is made up of four essential attributes: Credibility is the most frequently achieved attribute of trustworthiness. It has rational and emotional aspects related to an individual's content expertise and personal presence. Reliability is based on the frequency of interactions with someone and the consistency for them to behave as expected. Intimacy requires being personal and the willingness to have a courageous conversation. This is one of the key differentiating attributes of trustworthiness. Self-orientation relates to the amount of focus placed on oneself versus the emphasis placed on the other person. A High degree of self-orientation creates significant distrust with others. Assigning ratings to each of these attributes and using a trust equation (see Figure 1) allows you to measure your trustworthiness. Improving team trust provides many personal and organizational benefits, such as increasing the exchange of information in team meetings resulting in improved quality, time, and project cost. If you have questions on getting started with individual and organizational development we would like to help ( contact us ) . References: Cheung, S. O., Yiu, T. W., & Lam, M. C. (2013). Interweaving trust and communication with project performance. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 139 (8), 941-950. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000681 Johnson, C. E., & Hackman, M. Z. (2018). Leadership: A communication perspective (6th ed.). Long Grove, Ill: Waveland Press. Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable . Jossey-Bass. Maister, D. H., Green, C. H., & Galford, R. M. (2000). The trusted advisor . New York: Free Press. McCroskey, J. C. (1992). Reliability and validity of the willingness to communicate scale. Communication Quarterly, 40 (1), 16-25. doi:10.1080/01463379209369817 Schein, E. H. (1996). Culture: The missing concept in organization studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41 (2), 229-240. doi:10.2307/2393715 Jeff Doolittle, MBA has extensive knowledge and expertise in leadership development, talent management, and coaching to grow individuals and organizations. Jeff has experience from start-ups to Fortune 50 public, Forbes 25 private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations across diverse industries. Jeff Doolittle is the founder of Organizational Talent Consulting in Grand Rapids, MI. He can be reached at info@organizationaltalent.com or by calling (616) 803-9020. Visit his blog for more ideas to stimulate individual, team, and organizational effectiveness.

An executive coaching relationship should no longer be viewed as an optional relationship for senior leaders. Back in 2005, Thomas Friedman wrote a book on how the world is flat. Today, the pressures of globalization for executives are immense. We have seen the COVID-19 pandemic create challenges for leaders that no one has ever faced. Helping executives to stay focused on personal development, so it does not get lost in the tsunami of urgent details and day-to-day activities, is an essential benefit of executive coaching. The essence of the power and effectiveness of executive coaching lies in the coach-leader relationship. This robust relationship fosters a leader’s growth through purposeful direction, reflection, feedback, and accountability. Today’s reality for a senior leader is that the marketplace is changing rapidly, and you are either ripe and rotting or green and growing. So, how is an executive to effectively stay green and growing in such a fast-paced environment? Modern peer-reviewed qualitative and quantitative research supports the effectiveness of the executive coach -leader relationship. In an extensive quantitative study by Stanley Black & Decker, the Sasha Corporation found that executives who received coaching achieved 15% higher goal performance than those who did not. Also, some of the most admired companies in the Fortune 100 contribute to the $1 billion executive coaching industry. The coaching sector is the second-fastest-growing sector in the world at a 6.7% average yearly growth rate projected through 2022, according to marketresearch.com. The broad support for executive coaching and the effectiveness is undeniable. DIRECTION & REFLECTION Without an executive coach, a leader can lack perspective and miss the benefit of assistance with setting direction. Any road will get you where you want to go if you don’t know where you are going. Setting direction is vital to growth as a leader. Executive coaching starts with an assessment and setting direction. A coach ensures development goals are purposeful and brings perspective to the best focus area. Also, guided reflection is another critical benefit. Often leaders pressed for time move from one urgent task to another and miss the advantage of pausing to reflect. The executive coach partners with the leader to ask questions that explore learning and maximize the value of the coaching. Peer-review research on the topic of reflection has found slowing down and providing time for intentional reflection improves an individual’s performance. FEEDBACK & ACCOUNTABILITY The reality is that leaders are busy, and without accountability, miss the opportunities for learning and growth. In the executive coaching relationship, external accountability is a crucial benefit. Typically, toward the end of the current year and the beginning of the new year, we all start thinking about self-development and annual goals. Then all too soon after, a week passes, work happens and we barely remember the goal. A coach can prioritize topics most critical to advancing executive development. Executive leaders receive feedback continuously from a wide range of sources on potential areas of development, but also can struggle to make sense of the feedback. Proximity to a problem sometimes impacts the leader’s clarity on importance. Also, general feedback often is not presented in effective or constructive ways. During a recent press briefing, President Donald Trump lit into a reporter for a line of questioning and stated he was a terrible reporter. The non-verbal response of the reporter indicated he was crushed and felt attacked. The reporter received feedback, but it was not specific or constructive. Having a coach can help executives take input from different groups of people that may be emotional to the leader. A coach also can assist the leader with filtering through various points of feedback to return focus on the essential constructive aspects. Now more than ever, due to the complexity placed on senior leadership roles, executives need coaches that can support their continuous development. Falling behind in a rapidly changing marketplace will not lead to success. The coach-leader relationship is an essential tool to foster a leader’s growth through purposeful direction, reflection, feedback, and accountability.

Eating that leftover jelly-filled donut or stopping at Taco Bell for a fourth meal on your way home from a long day at work will have consequences. Sometimes we are aware of how our bad habits impact us because we experience the immediate effect. Other times we have no idea of how our habits are negatively impacting ourselves and others. A habit is a practice or tendency that is hard to give up. We acquire habits through learning based on consequence reinforcement that can be considered either good or bad. Leadership bad habits can sometimes be rewarding, as the taste of a jelly-filled donut, or harmful as weight gained from eating too many donuts. The consequences of bad leadership habits vary and range from minor uncomfortable situations to those with organizational survival impacts. In leadership and life, it is easy to fall into bad habits. One helpful approach to breaking any bad habit is identifying the habit and replacing it with a new healthy habit. The following are my top seven leadership bad habits and some ideas for breaking them. Leadership Bad Habit # 1. Using positional power. It is easy to fall into the trap that the only way to gain influence is to leverage positional power. I am the boss, so do as I say. Positional power is not always negative, but it can do great harm to any relationship if abused. Although positional power can prompt immediate action, it reduces others' motivation to give more than what is expected. When abused, it can lead to retaliation and the mindset of "when the cat is away; the mice will play." The result is that you may have people only doing what you direct when you are around. Abusing positional power prevents the realization of the full potential of what can be from motivating others to do more than what is expected. Breaking the habit: Adopt a servant leadership style . Research has shown that a servant leadership style improves workplace productivity, performance, and organizational results and increases discretionary effort. Start using positive reinforcement. Find followers making an approximation of the behaviors you want more of and reinforce them for those behaviors. Leadership Bad Habit # 2. Attention deficit. Fostering innovation within an organization is an increasingly important leadership behavior. Identifying worthy ideas requires seeing new patterns in the data. However, in today's fast-paced digital workplace, staying focused can be very challenging as leaders rush from meeting to meeting. Avoiding distractions and focusing is essential to identifying new patterns. Breaking the habit: Keep a journal of problems that you find and ideas that you have. Using a journal helps you manage the negative impacts of rushing and role overload. Reflecting on the issues and innovative ideas written in the journal at a later time helps you recognize patterns and avoid cognitive errors caused by recency bias. Leadership Bad Habit # 3. Do as I say, not as I do. Leadership is about influence. As a leader, you set expectations for the organization. Your actions speak louder than your words. When actions do not match what is said, it damages trust. Integrity moderates the degree of confidence in a relationship—the less honesty in the relationship, the less trust. No one wants to follow a leader that is not willing to follow their own advice. Breaking the habit: No radical advice on this one. Ask others to help you become aware of situations where you do not live up to what you ask of others. Leadership Bad Habit # 4. Sending an email instead of talking. Written communication is not a substitute for speaking directly with someone. It probably goes without needing scientific research to understand that face-to-face communication is the most effective communication form. Sending emails and texts can be deceptive because you feel like you are communicating; however, a message sent does not mean a message received. When you send an email in place of a face-to-face conversation, you minimize your influence potential and, ultimately, the relationship. Breaking the habit: Prioritize meetings with those you lead. Establish a regular meeting schedule to make space for time to talk face-to-face. If you are unsure where to begin or question if it is possible, I recommend reading about the model presented by Patrick Lencioni in Death by Meeting . Leadership Bad Habit # 5. Employee training as "the" solution. Not all issues involving employees require training. Unfortunately, many leaders hold an assumption that any productivity or behavioral problem can be solved with training. It is often perceived as a relatively quick and cheap, easy way to show visible action and document resolution to a problem. Training is a practical solution for knowledge and skills needs. However, training is often not the only or best solution. You can improve employee productivity, job satisfaction, and overall performance by not using training as a blanket solution to every workplace problem. Breaking the habit: Before recommending training, conduct a root cause analysis to understand all the potential contributing factors. Talk with employees to find out what would help them most. Gilbert's behavior engineering model provides an excellent framework for investigating potential causes. Leadership Bad Habit # 6. Keeping secret the company strategy. Strategic planning involves strategic thinking, acting, and influencing. Unfortunately, current research reveals that 95% of employees are unaware of or do not understand their organization's strategy. The difference between a realized strategy and a created strategy puts the organization at risk. Also, assuming you have all the answers puts your organization's survival at risk. Breaking the habit: Involve others and practice empathy, energy, humility, and strategic foresight . Listen to employees to understand their needs, motivations, and concerns that any strategy can produce. This will lead to better strategic thinking, acting, and influence. Leadership Bad Habit # 7. Nearsighted business focus. Focusing on the near team is easy and immediately rewarding. However, an organization focused only on the immediate is gambling with their future. One of the most significant downfalls of strategic planning is the failure to consider future changes. No one would argue that that the modern workplace is predictable. However, organizations desperately need leaders to adopt an approach to strategic planning that can account for the volatility, uncertainty, and complexity in the marketplace. Breaking the habit: Introduce scenario planning as a decision-making tool to explore and understand the variety of potential issues impacting the organization. Teach employees strategic foresight skills such as the futures wheel . Leadership Bad Habit or Addiction? Bad habits can lead to addictions and can be difficult to break. How is it that we can know something is bad for us and still do it? We know eating that jelly-filled donut is likely not a good idea when we are trying to lose weight. We know telling our followers to do something we are not willing to do is not a good idea. So why do we keep doing it? And how do we stop? Wanting to change is a good start, and learning new skills is a good idea. Anyone who has tried to exercise more, lose weight, or permanently change any long-standing habit knows it can be hard. Likely no one book, training event, or coaching session will produce lasting behavior change. That does not mean these are not helpful or important ; it just means they need to be incorporated into a systemic change process. If you are interested in getting help to make a change, we would love to help. References: Abraham, S. (2005). Stretching strategic thinking. Strategy & Leadership, 33 (5), 5-12. Chermack, T. (2011). Scenario planning in organizations: How to create, use, and assess scenarios. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Greenleaf, R. K., & Spears, L. C. (2002). Servant-leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th-anniversary ed.) . Paulist Press. Hernez-Broome, G., Boyce, L. A., & Ely, K. (2009). The coaching relationship: A glimpse into the black box of coaching. In L. A. Boyce & G. Hernez-Broome (Chair), The client-coach relationship: Examining a critical component of successful coaching. Symposium conducted at the 24th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA. Hughes, R. L., Beatty, K. M., & Dinwoodie, D. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success . John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Patterson, K. (2003, October 16). Servant-leadership: A theoretical model [PDF]. Regent University School of Leadership Studies Servant-leadership Research Roundtable.

Most executives want more out of life and work, and businesses want to grow. The pressures of increasing uncertainty and a fast-paced digital workplace are intense, and leaders face many new challenges. If leaders and teams are not striving to improve, they are falling behind. So, how can leaders and businesses avoid wasting time chasing ideas that don't move the needle in a turbulent environment? Some of the most admired companies in the Fortune 500 are turning to executive coaching. It's a high-value business investment. Evidence suggests coaching significantly increases goal leadership and business performance. However, executive coaching may not be familiar to you. This article provides insights into what it is and is not, evidence-based benefits, the coaching process, and much more. What is the ROI of Executive Coaching? If you ask five different people to define coaching, you will likely get five different definitions. Coaching is a thought-provoking partnership focused on achieving a client's goal. It is a creative process that starts with clarifying the goal and the gap between where they are today and their desired future. It provokes the client to explore and experiment to maximize their personal and professional potential. The ultimate goal of executive coaching is a positive transformation in life and leadership for the client (e.g., behavioral, attitudinal, or motivational). The coach-client relationship is grounded in trust, transparency, and confidentiality. While the coach and client are the primary stakeholders, the executive's sponsoring organization is often an additional formal or informal stakeholder. The benefits of investing in executive coaching are well documented. According to the International Coaching Federation, 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence. Over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report recouping their investment in coaching and more. ​ Executive Benefits: Establish and take action toward achieving both career and life goals Become more confident Gain more personal satisfaction Contribute more effectively to the team and the organization Take greater responsibility and accountability for actions and commitments Work more efficiently and productively with others (leaders, followers, peers, customers) Communicate more effectively Reduced stress Business Benefits: Empowers employees Increases engagement Improves performance Improves employee retention Supports identification and development of high-potential employees Supports identification of both organizational and individual strengths and development opportunities Shows organizational commitment to employee development What Executive Coaching is Not Executive coaching is not counseling or mentoring. Counseling deals with past or current trauma, mental health, and symptoms to restore emotional wellness. Executive coaching focuses on the future and not the client's past. Unlike a coach, a mentor sets the agenda for their client using their experiences to guide the relationship. While that approach can be helpful in reality, we are all created with different strengths and backgrounds. A coach draws out the executive's desires and works to co-create options to achieve the executive's goals with personal and professional benefits. In addition to executive coaching, there are several other popular targeted c oaching services: Career Coaching is focused on accelerating your career. Most of us go through day-to-day life, giving more thought to what we wear each day than our jobs. The coaching focuses on developing and implementing a plan of action to boost your career. Career coaching keeps you feeling challenged versus being worried about what's next. Additionally, a coach increases your blind spot awareness. We all have blind spots. A good career coach helps you avoid jeopardizing current and future potential career opportunities because of blind spots. Emotional Intelligence Coaching focuses on helping you become more self-aware and effective in relationships. This type of coaching typically involves temperament and personality profiles to pinpoint where development should be focused. Leadership Coaching helps you grow your confidence and competence regardless of whether you are an emerging leader, frontline leader, mid-level manager, executive, or business owner. Typically leadership coaching includes using a 360-degree assessment to improve feedback and awareness for the client. In my work with CEOs, executive teams, and boards in Grand Rapids and across West Michigan, executive coaching is rarely about fixing poor performance. More often, it’s about helping capable leaders navigate growth, increasing complexity, succession decisions, and the unintended consequences that emerge as organizations scale. Who typically hires an executive coach? Individual executives and organizations hire executive coaches to achieve their goals. Sometimes, the executive is in transition, facing new challenges, or making a career pivot. Hiring an executive coach is a good fit for any executive who wants to get more out of life and work, accelerate their career, or shift their mindset. Here are a few scenarios from recent executives who hired me to be their coach: A newly appointed CEO replacing the founder of a rapidly growing mid-sized business A CEO for a mid-sized nonprofit facing increasing regulatory pressures and wanting to get more out of life and work A tenured regional VP making a career pivot A director within a large business wanting to navigate change and work effectively with a new leader It is typically not a good idea to hire an executive coach if: The executive does not want the coaching—the lower the executive's motivation, the lower the investment's return. The executive needs a consultant or a mentor to solve a problem or share their experience. The executive is not doing their job, and the organization is looking to outsource the executive's manager role. What is the Typical Executive Coaching Process? Current evidence-based research supports various psychological approaches to executive coaching, such as cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, strength-based, and GROW. While each approach is similar, the GROW model is very popular. Given that executive coaching's ultimate goal is change within the executive, the process centers on using essential questions and client-centered critical thinking to invoke the executive's self-awareness and personal responsibility. The GROW model represents a journey that begins with clarifying the goal, which is both inspiring and challenging to the executive. Then, the following step involves exploring the current reality and considering barriers between the current state and the desired future. The next step involves exploring options based on the principle that imagination creates breakthroughs. The final step is clarifying the executive's will and the way forward. It involves defining specific timebound actions with the commitment, accountability, and reporting to lead to transformation. The client ultimately chooses the decisions to make and steps to take to meet their goals. A typical coaching program includes four fundamental steps over 12 months: Step #1: Alignment to build rapport and understand the context for coaching and the outcomes. Step #2: Assessment to provide insight into strengths and opportunities for your development. Step #3: Coaching to move toward your future, assess where you are currently and where you would like to be, remove obstacles, and explore and discover the steps to achieve your desired future. Step #4: Measurement to establish clear goals, measure progress, and celebrate successes. Is virtual executive coaching effective? While in-person communication is proven to be most effective, a skilled coach can effectively utilize virtual technologies such as Zoom to achieve lasting results. Thoughtfully incorporating virtual coaching has many benefits: Accessibility is likely one of the most significant benefits associated with virtual coaching. Technology enables the coach and client to connect in different places within the same building or worldwide. Availability improves, enabling the coach to be brought into just-in-time and rapid response needs or unique situations like cross-cultural needs. Also, the coach and client benefit from the flexibility and administrative ease in scheduling. Affordability improves through reduced travel and associated costs. Access to resources improves through digital access to tools supporting goal setting, coaching preparation, and progress tracking. Coaching evaluation improves through the ease of tracking commitments, satisfaction, strengths, opportunities, and trends both on an individual client level and at an aggregate organizational level. Take this free Virtual Coaching Fit Checker quiz to help you determine if virtual coaching is a good fit. What makes an excellent executive coach? An excellent executive coach is experienced, trained, and qualified. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a globally recognized association with evidence-based competency and code of ethics certification requirements. The ICF identified the following eight essential core competencies of a coach based on research collected over two years of job analyses from 1,300 coaches globally: Demonstrates Ethical Practice Embodies a Coaching Mindset Establishes and Maintains Agreements Cultivates Trust and Safety Maintains Presence Listens Actively Evokes Awareness Facilitates Client Growth Additionally, an excellent coach usually refrains from giving advice or sharing their personal stories. Instead, the coach asks powerful questions to help the executive clarify their problems in achieving their goals. Also, evidence suggests that a coach's academic background in psychology enhances executive coaching outcomes such as the client's self-awareness and leadership performance. References: Athanasopoulou, A., & Dopson, S. (2018). A systematic review of executive coaching outcomes: Is it the journey or the destination that matters most? The Leadership Quarterly. 29 (1), 70-88. Berglas, S. (2002). The very real dangers of executive coaching. Harvard Business Review, 80 (6), 86-153. Bluckert, P. (2005). Critical factors in executive coaching - the coaching relationship. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37 (7), 336-340. Dean, M., & Meyer, A. (2002). Executive coaching: In search of a model. Journal of Leadership Education, 1 (2). Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose . Organizational Talent Consulting. Goldsmith, M., Lyons, L., & McArthur, S. (2012). Coaching for leadership: Writings on leadership from the world's greatest coaches 3rd Edition . Pfeiffer. Kampa-Kokesch, S., & Anderson, M. (2001). Executive coaching: A comprehensive review of the literature. Consulting Psychology Journal, 53 (4), 205-228. Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, H., Sandhal, P., & Whitworth, L., (2018). Co-active coaching: The proven framework for transformative conversations at work and in life. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Lai, Y., & Palmer, S. (2019). Psychology in executive coaching: An integrated literature review. Journal of Work Applied Management, 11 (2), 143-164. Thach, E. (2002). The impact of executive coaching and 360 feedback on leadership effectiveness . Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 23 (4), 205-214.

Have you ever wondered what servant leadership is? Maybe you already understand the basic concepts. But have questions about how servant leadership differs from other leadership styles or if a servant leadership approach is appropriate for your team. The costs of poor leadership often show up in the workplace disguised as low employee engagement, a lack of team cohesion and collaboration, high employee turnover, and failed execution. Businesses need leaders who can take action amid growing uncertainty and operate effectively in a complex workplace with a diverse workforce. This article provides insights into the proven benefits of servant leadership for elevating leaders and empowering organizational excellence. It includes a case study of servant leadership from a global leader in the business services and supplies industry and a leadership style quiz. How Servant Leadership Makes a Difference in the Workplace There are several well-researched employee and company benefits associated with servant leadership, such as: performance productivity intrinsic motivation organizational citizenship behavior organizational alignment workplace climate employee capacity creativity A servant leader's selfless love for followers is a benefit multiplier. Evidence suggests that selfless love increases leader and follower commitment, yielding enhanced intrinsic motivation that amplifies workforce and business strategy alignment. Intrinsic motivation is also a moderating factor in employee engagement. It improved intrinsic motivation, resulting in higher levels of employee engagement. "Higher levels of intrinsic motivation cause people to do more and results in higher performance" Patterson In addition to enhancing what leaders expect, servant leadership unlocks the unexpected. Discretionary effort, also known as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), is increased by servant leadership. For example, consider two employees walking down a hall. Both employees see a piece of paper on the floor. Only one employee stops to pick it up, even though it is neither employee's responsibility. Servant leadership enhances the workplace climate, increases discretionary effort (unexpected worthy behaviors), and improves business results. No organization looks to stay the same year after year. Innovation is required to remain relevant and succeed in a fast-paced digital marketplace. Studies reveal that a servant leadership style improves employee productivity and creativity. Employees are more likely to provide constructive criticism and engage in productive conflict without fear of exclusion or retaliation. It is in this environment that employees can be creative. The Servant Leadership Style Described Most attribute Robert Greenleaf as the founder of servant leadership. He described a servant leader as a servant first and used the following test to answer the question: What's servant leadership? Would you pass this test? The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived. Greenleaf & Spears The following short video from leadership guru Ken Blanchard provides some additional insights into the potential of servant leadership in today's workplace. 10 Characteristics of a Servant Leader These ten characteristics are foundational to understanding the servant leadership style: Listening to self and others: Servant leaders use v erbal, nonverbal, and empathic listening to build trust and improve relationships. Displaying empathy: Servant leaders possess the ability to be aware of, feel, and take on another person's emotions. Empathy plays a vital role in moderating the effects of workplace conflict. Research has linked empathy with forgiveness and healing relationships. Healing: Servant leaders provide physical and emotional support to restore broken relationships and help hurt employees. Awareness: Both general awareness and self-awareness strengthen the leader's ability to understand issues involving ethics, power, and values holistically . Persuasion: Servant leaders rely on persuasion vs. positional power to make decisions. This is one of the most apparent differences between a servant leader and a traditional leader. Conceptual thinking: Servant leaders consider the best of what is and what can be by tapping into the team's dreams. Rather than solely focusing on the short-term, the servant leader can align followers with the company's purpose and vision of the organization. Strategic foresight: The goal is not to predict the future but to enable better decision-making and preparedness so leaders can grow revenue amid uncertainty. Stewardship of others' needs: Servant leaders hold others' needs in their trust while serving and influencing with persuasion. Commitment to follower development: Servant leaders see their followers' potential and value beyond their tangible contributions to the business. Building community: A community is defined by shared social identification among the members. Servant leaders recognize and take action to build community with those in the workplace. Creating shared social identity provides the missing link between employees feeling excluded and included. Employees are looking for leaders who demonstrate these behaviors. However, these characteristics alone do not fully capture servant leadership. 7 Virtues of Servant Leadership Like the operating system on your phone, the leader's inner game values and virtues moderate l eadership effectiveness . While characteristics describe what a leader should do in a given situation, the leader's virtues and character determine what a leader will do. Virtues provide a foundation for the characteristics of a servant leader. The following are the seven virtues of a servant leader: Love: Doing the right thing at the right time and for the right reasons. Humility: Having a realistic self-image, others focused, being willing to listen, and being vulnerable. Altruism: Concerned for others' welfare and equity and derives pleasure from helping others. Vision: Able to see around the corners, understand follower capability, and possess a growth mindset. Trust : Having integrity, respect, transparency, and goodwill. Empowerment: Sharing power, teamwork, transparent expectations, goals, and responsibilities. Service: Choosing others over self and authentic. Comparing the motivations and dimensions of different leadership styles reveals similarities and differences, contributing to a deeper understanding of servant leadership. Servant Leadership vs. Transformational Leadership While similar to servant leadership, the primary focus of transformational leadership is the organizational benefit. The emphasis of servant leadership is on service to the follower. The table below displays the motivations and dimensions of servant and transformational leadership. Servant Leadership vs. Authentic Leadership In contrast to servant leadership, authentic leadership focuses on the leader being who they were created to be—authentic leadership and servant leadership overlap in dimensions of leading with heart and humility. The critical difference between these two contemporary leadership approaches is the difference in the leader's focus on themselves for authentic leadership and others for servant leadership—the table below displays servant and authentic leadership motivations and dimensions. Servant Leadership vs. Spiritual Leadership Spiritual leadership is distinctly different from servant leadership, although it is the most similar theory of the four contemporary leadership theories discussed. Spiritual leadership focuses on motivating the leader and others, which contrasts with service to others in servant leadership. Both spiritual leadership and servant leadership theories share the dimensions of love, vision, and altruism. The following table displays the motivations and dimensions of servant and spiritual leadership. A Servant Leadership Example in Business Sodexo's journey provides excellent examples of servant leadership in business. Headquartered in France, Sodexo is the leader in the global business services and supplies industry. It started as a family-run business in Marseilles, France. Since its beginning in 1966, Sodexo's mission, values, and ethical principles have guided its people-focused actions around service. This global organization of over 470,000 employees is located in 67 countries and served 100 million consumers daily in 2019. While Sodexo does not explicitly state servant-leadership, the organization's mission and leaders align with servant-leadership characteristics. Here are some examples: Sodexo measures employee quality of life as the employee's physical environment , health and wellbeing, social interaction, recognition, ease and efficiency, and personal growth. Sodexo considers the lifestyles of its employees globally and encourages work flexibility to promote improved performance for clients and customers. Sarosh Mistry , Region Chair for North America and Chief Executive Officer, suggested that improved performance starts with ensuring an excellent quality of life for Sodexo employees. Sylvia Metayer, Chief Growth Officer, humbly stated, "I am learning that to be a CEO is to be a servant." Sodexo's senior leadership shares a servant focus. The following table provides examples of servant leadership from Sarosh Mistry and Sylvia Metayer, two members of the Sodexo Executive Committee. Sarosh indicated that Sodexo looks for leaders who motivate employees through service by giving back to the communities they serve. A servant-leader understands that leaders can use power to serve others' needs through performance. Servant Leadership Quotes "Leadership is an extreme sport requiring both courage and humility." Cheryl Bachelder, Former CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. "Listen, show compassion, and ask for feedback." Liz Theophill, Chief Technology & Digital Officer at Novartis AG "How you get the results is more important than the results themselves." Art Barter, CEO, Datron World Communications, Inc. It is no longer acceptable for corporate leadership to be blind to their followers' needs and the communities where they live and work. People are looking to business leaders to help remove barriers that impact meeting their own needs. Servant leadership, an emerging 20th-century leadership style, provides solutions to today's dilemmas. Take Our Servant Leader Quiz Take this free quiz to learn if your leadership style aligns with servant leadership. References Alba, R. (2018). What majority-minority society? A critical analysis of the Census Bureau's projections of America's demographic future. Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 4 . Bass, B. M. (2000). 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American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 81 (3), 58. Ferris, R. (1988). How organizational love can improve leadership. Organizational Dynamics, 16 (4), 41-51. Fry, L. W. (2003). Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 14 (6), 693-727. George, B. (2003). Authentic leadership: Rediscovering the secrets to creating lasting value . John Wiley & Sons. Greenleaf, R. K., & Spears, L. C. (2002). Servant-leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness (25th-anniversary ed.). Paulist Press. Hassell, B. (2017). What do today's workforce trends mean for business, leadership? Chief Learning Officer. Kwittken, A. (2020, May 4). Moving from service leadership to servant-leadership during a pandemic: A conversation with Sodexo North America chair Sarosh Mistry [Audio podcast]. Brand on Purpose . Mittal, R., & Dorfman, P. W. (2012). Servant leadership across cultures. Journal of World Business, 47 (4), 555-570. Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (Seventh Edition ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. Patterson, K. (2003, October 16). Servant-leadership: A theoretical model [PDF]. Regent University School of Leadership Studies Servant-leadership Research Roundtable. Shu, C. (2015). The impact of intrinsic motivation on the effectiveness of leadership style towards on work engagement. Contemporary Management Research, 11 (4), 327-349. Sodexo. (2019). Fiscal 2019 universal registration document [PDF] . LABRADOR. Sodexo. (2020). About Us. https://us.sodexo.com/about-us.html Trompenaars, A., & Voerman, E. (2010). Servant leadership across cultures: Harnessing the strength of the world's most powerful management philosophy . McGraw-Hill. Van Dierendonck, D., & Patterson, K. (2010). Servant-leadership: Developments in theory and research . Palgrave Macmillan. Walumbwa, F., Hartnell, C., & Oke, A. (2010). Servant-leadership, procedural justice climate, service climate, employee attitudes, and organizational citizenship behavior: A cross-level investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95 (3). Wallace, J. R. (2007) Servant-leadership: A worldview perspective. The International Journal of Leadership Studies. 2 (2). Winston, B. E. (2003). Extending Patterson's servant-leadership model: Explaining how leaders and followers interact in a circular model . Regent University School of Leadership Studies Servant-leadership Research Roundtable. Winston, B. & Ryan, B. (2008). Servant-leadership as a Humane Orientation: Using the GLOBE Study Construct of Humane Orientation to Show that Servant-leadership is More Global than Western. International Journal of Leadership Studies , Vol. 3 Iss. 2, pp. 212-222.

Star Wars presents an epic struggle between the light and dark side of the force. This special-effects-laden movie saga produced over ten billion dollars of revenue for Disney. However, in the workplace, the made-for-movie behaviors of dark personality traits are not the same. A dark personality sits in between what is considered a normal personality and clinical pathology. Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy make up the Dark Triad. These dark personality types are proven to increase costly, counterproductive work behaviors, such as sabotage, bullying, sexual harassment, fraud, employee theft, and absenteeism. In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda tells Luke, "If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny." Is the same true for leaders? This article provides six dark-side countermeasures for your team and what to do if you work with or for someone with a dark personality. What is a dark personality? Like in Star Wars, the use of the word dark has a chilling effect. Before discussing the meaning of "dark" personality, it is helpful to understand what personality is. According to the American Phycological Association: Personality refers to the individual differences in the characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. While research into the dark side of personality has increased in recent years, there is little consensus on what makes a personality feature dark. However, the following working definition is widely accepted: A dark personality is socially undersireable and linked with interpersonal challenges and potentially destructive organizational behaviors such as aggression, manipulation, and exploitation. Dark side personality traits are proven to increase the likelihood of leadership failure. In contrast, normal personality characteristics are proven to be catalysts for positive organizational results. What is the Dark Triad Modern research into dark personality has focused on the three particularly offensive but nonpathological personality types. The Dark Triad is made up of Machiavelianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Machiavellianism refers to a personality type that is a master manipulator. They are described as calculating, conniving, deceptive, and lacking empathy. A manipulative quote you could expect to hear from a Machiavellian is attributed to P. T. Barnum, "there's a sucker born every minute." Machiavellianism is associated with increased counterproductive workplace behavior and a lack of conscientiousness in the workplace. It is worth noting; however, at least one study revealed positive and negative effects from this dark side personality type. A survey of over 600 working adults from various industries found that Machiavellianism negatively influenced if employees would go above and beyond the expectations of the job for the betterment of their colleagues and the organization. Narcissism refers to a highly self-involved personality. Narcissists have an inflated sense of importance, a high need for attention and admiration, and a fragile ego susceptible to the faintest criticism. You would expect to hear from a narcissist that they don't care what you think unless it is about them. In a Cornell University workplace study, narcissists supported hierarchical organizational structures when they were at the top or expected to get to the top quickly. In another study of over 2,700 working adults, narcissism was the dominant predictor of counterproductive workplace behavior among the dark triad personality types. Counterproductive workplace behavior (CWB) is simply any behavior that undercuts business goals and aspirations. Psychopathy refers to a personality type marked by thrill-seeking with unusually low anxiety, a lack of empathy, antisocial behavior, a lack of guilt, and an absence of conscience. A representative quote you would expect from this personality type is attributed to actor James Marsters, "I am a psychopath, but I don't have a problem with that." According to researchers, psychopaths are "appreciating liabilities" that account for 1.15 trillion in annual costs due to coworker and organizational fallout in the workplace. Here is a short video that explains how the Dark Personality Triad types are similar yet distinctly different. Do you have Dark Triad tendencies? After reading to this point, you might wonder if you (or someone you know) have Dark Triad tendencies. If so, here is a link to a free Short Dark Triad assessment developed by Delroy Paulhus and Daniel Jones, strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. After taking the assessment, you will receive a detailed report. Can you change your personality? Or is it true what Yoda told Luke that if you start down the dark path, it forever will dominate your destiny? Luckily, there is hope. The Big Five personality traits serve as the building blocks of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Evidence suggests that making personality trait changes through persistent and deliberate interventions is possible. There is more than one way to make changes. Here are a few proven talent management suggestions to counter dark personality behaviors in the workplace. Countermeasure #1: Organizational Culture Your workplace culture influences everything. For example, narcissists are less likely to demonstrate counterproductive workplace behaviors in a collectivist culture, where self-serving behaviors are not rewarded. Consider using a culture assessment to discover how your company culture is reinforcing desired workplace behavior. Countermeasure #2: Executive A ssessments When you know yourself, you have the insight to recognize bad leadership habits and make transformational changes that deliver proven results. The higher you move within an organization, the less objective the feedback you tend to receive; however, it becomes more critical personally and professionally. Executive assessments can provide deep insights into areas that, with attention, lead to enhanced potential. The NEO-PI-R is a measure of the Five-Factor Model (FFM) that provides a systematic assessment of normal personality and insight into facets of the Dark Triad. Countermeasure #3: Executive Coaching Combining executive coaching with assessments is proven to create positive outcomes. Most people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. Most companies report recouping their coaching investment through enhanced business outcomes. Countermeasure #4: Performance Reviews Chances are you are not as good at performance management as you think. When providing performance feedback to dark personality types, it is helpful to precisely communicate the desired behaviors in the context of achieving organizational goals and supporting team cohesion. Making it clear that company performance is the desired outcome. Countermeasure #5: Reward and Recognition Don't fall into the trap of believing that any recognition is better than no recognition. Know what motivates employees and don't reinforce the wrong behaviors. Machiavellians are concerned with impression management. Tightly aligning reward systems with desired behaviors will make them more appealing and encourage their behavior toward team cohesion. Make recognition a leadership habit . Countermeasure #6: Training Bringing out the best in all personality types includes employee learning and development opportunities . Research demonstrates that investments into development at critical career transition points effectively influence dark personality types. Helping employees understand appropriate work expectations and behaviors can help organizations avoid costly mistakes. The adverse effects of dark personality types on others and the organization (e.x., sabotage, bullying, sexual harassment, fraud, employee theft, and absenteeism) demand that organizational leadership take responsibility for change. What if you work with or for someone with a dark personality? Dark personalities in the general population are not common, typically less than one percent. However, they do exist, and most of us have some dark personality tendencies. The good news is that people can change if they want to change. The bad news is that you can not make them change. Here are a few thoughts to consider before taking an action you regret. Start with checking your MVP . Your motivation, vision, and perspective for this relationship moderate the effectiveness of your actions. If you have a positive MVP about this coworker or leader, you are more likely to have a positive outcome if you try to work on the relationship. When you don't have a positive MVP, you are less likely to be effective in your ability to work with them. Motivation. Is your motivation about caring for them? Or is your motivation to be right? Reasons for a conversation matter. It is less likely an action you take will lead to positive changes without a positive reason. Vision. How do you see the conversation's result going? Is it the best of what might be? Or is what you see a list of all the things that could go wrong? Anticipating a positive step in the journey provides a sense of purpose and direction to inspire your best and achieve success. Perspective. When the lens through which you perceive a relationship is off, your results will turn out poorly. Is your paradigm of a healthy relationship? Or is your perspective that it is best to avoid the relationship? Next, consider your options. You can accept the relationships for what they are, work to redefine the relationships or find a new place to work with different people. Although you can not make them change, you do have options, and it is essential to remember that you are in control of what and if you take action. Shifting your mindset allows new perspectives and presents a never-ending opportunity to grow and achieve new heights in life and work. An effective executive coach will challenge assumptions and encourage, stretch, and challenge you. What you should read next about dark personality types If you enjoyed learning about the Dark Triad, you would likely enjoy reading The Dark Side of Personality: Science and Practice in Social, Personality, and Clinical Psychology by Virgil Zeigler-Hill. In this book, the author goes beyond the Dark Triad to address another dark side of personality traits such as spite, authoritarianism, and perfectionism. Another book you might like is Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work by authors Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare. These authors discuss the impact of psychopaths in the workplace and provide practical tools to help you avoid getting bit by them. Key Points: Darkside personality types are proven to increase costly, counterproductive work behaviors, such as sabotage, bullying, sexual harassment, fraud, employee theft, and absenteeism. Dark personalities negatively impact teams and organizational outcomes. Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy dark personality types make up the Dark Triad. Narcissism is the dominant predictor of counterproductive workplace behavior among the dark triad personality types. It is possible to change dark personality traits through persistent interventions. If you have organizational culture or leadership development needs you cannot solve independently, we're ready to partner with you to craft a solution specific to your organization's context and challenges. Getting started is as easy as visiting www.organizationaltalent.com or contacting us via email at info@organizationaltalent.com. References: Anderson, N. E., & Kiehl, K. A. (2014). Psychopathy: developmental perspectives and their implications for treatment. Restorative neurology and neuroscience , 32 (1), 103–117. Becker, J. & O'Hair, D. (2007). Machiavellians' motives in organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Applied Communication Research. 35 (3). Pp. 246-267. Burke, R.J. (2006). Why leaders fail: Exploring the darkside. International Journal of Manpower , 27 (1), pp. 91-100. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-changing leadership habits: 10 proven principles that will elevate people, profit, and purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Michalak, R. T., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2020). Working with monsters: Counting the costs of workplace psychopaths and other toxic employees. Accounting and Finance (Parkville), 60 (S1), 729-770. Psychology Topics. (2021). Personality. American Psychological Association . Spain, S., Harms, P. & Lebreton, J. (2013). The dark side of personality at work. of Organizational Behavior . 35 , S41-S60. Zitek, E. M., & Jordan, A. H. (2016). Narcissism predicts support for hierarchy: At least when narcissists think they can rise to the top. Social Psychological and Personality Science , 7 (7), 707–716.

Have you ever fallen into a power trap? You assign a project, and if quickly questioned, your first response is a cop-out version of "because I said so." I know I have, and it doesn't feel good. As a leader, I am not a micromanager. But, when faced with a demanding deadline, I must consciously remind myself to slow down and listen instead of resorting to authority or policies when questioned. Leadership is about selfless influence, not coercion. When you project authority, you get compliance. And evidence suggests it comes with a hidden cost. You also get disengagement, reduced organizational commitment , and resentment. Leadership influence can be an elusive skill to grasp. Follow these seven proven strategies to avoid getting leadership influence wrong. The cost of leadership coercion Coercion is an authoritarian leadership approach that uses positional power to control employees. This short clip from the movie Office Space offers a light-hearted look at how coercive leadership can manifest in the workplace. A lack of ability to inspire influence often results in desperate leaders relying on positional power to get work done. While coercive leadership can appear effective in the short term, it leads to severe personal and professional consequences. Evidence suggests that coercive leadership reduces: Organizational commitment Employee motivation Trust and respect Productivity and profitability Employee retention How to inspire and create leadership influence Influence is the ability to change followers' thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. When asked to change, followers have two basic questions. Can I do what is being asked? And do I want to do what I am being asked? The following strategies move beyond coercion Influence Strategy # 1: Live in Balance Before you can create influence, you need to be living in balance . Research has demonstrated that when leaders feel exhausted or in psychological distress, they are more likely to rely on coercion. Achieving balance with self-care is an individual path. However, relationships, rest, and work environment significantly influence physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. It ultimately doesn't matter where you start, but that you do start. Influence Strategy # 2: Be Authentic Be open about your values and beliefs. Leaders must be clear about what is important and spend time sharing with their followers. Those words aligned with the leader's actions create authenticity in the leader-follower relationship. It is essential to provide additional channels for open communications in addition to the usual one-to-one and open-door meetings. Share results, responsibilities, ideas, opportunities for improvement, company information, and expectations clearly with everyone. Influence Strategy # 3: Be Trustworthy Set expectations about the importance of trusting each other. Trust is fundamental to relationships . Providing help to followers before it is asked is one-way leaders can role model the importance of trust. A widely accepted evidence-based understanding of trust is the perception of the leader's ability, purpose, integrity, and self-orientation. Ability – the skills, competencies, and characteristics within a specific area. Purpose – moral obligations and responsibility to demonstrate concern for others' interests. Integrity – the follow through on promises in a manner that is acceptable by others. Self-orientation - the ability to consider others' opinions, act with self-awareness, and lead with humility builds trust. Influence Strategy # 4: Create Shared Purpose Instill a sense of purpose in the team. Leaders who emphasize the why of the work enable teams to persist and believe even when the work becomes difficult. Ask others why they chose to work here and what they valued about the company before joining. Follow up by checking in with them to see if this is what they have and are experiencing on the team. Here is an excellent explanation of the power of purpose ("why") by Simon Sinek. Influence Strategy # 5: Make Moral Decisions The following are four ways leaders can demonstrate moral decision-making: Integrity – Being honest, acting consistently with principles, standing up for what is right, and keeping promises. Responsibility – Owning personal decisions, admitting mistakes, and showing concern for the common good. Forgiveness – Pursuing excellence and letting go of self and others' mistakes, focused on what is right versus only wrong. Compassion – Empathizing with others, empowering, actively caring for others, and committing to others' growth. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. Martin Luther King, Jr. Influence Strategy # 6: Create Teamwork Embrace teamwork. Adopt an approach where each team player is a needed part of the overall team and important to the project's success. Establish a compelling direction for the team. Teamwork can not be inspired without an understanding of where the team is headed. Create a team structure that is aligned with your team's strategies and goals. Clarify team member roles and responsibilities. Reward and recognize behaviors that support teamwork. C ommunicate the importance of teamwork regularly. Here is a short TedEx presentation on the attributes of an ideal team player. Influence Strategy # 7: Adopt An Appreciative Mindset Champion the best of what can be. Adopt an appreciative mindset . It is not about ignoring weaknesses; instead, it is about prioritizing and pursuing understanding, reinforcing, and leveraging the best of what can be. Leadership influence is enhanced when leaders recognize and advance ideas that leverage the best of what is within the team. Individuals and teams move in the direction that is repeatedly discussed, and questions are asked. The answer to enhancing leadership influence is not hiding in data but in the daily behavior patterns. What is the real challenge with enhancing your leadership influence? References: Byrne, A., Dionisi, A., Barling, J., Akers, A., Robertson, J., Lys, R., Wylie, J., & Dupré, K. (2014). The depleted leader: The influence of leaders' diminished psychological resources on leadership behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 25 (2), 344-357. Doolittle, J. (2023). Life-Changing Leadership Habits: 10 Proven Principles That Will Elevate People, Profit, and Purpose. Organizational Talent Consulting. Sosik, J., & Jung, D. (2018). Full range leadership development: Pathways for people, profit, and planet (2nd ed.). Routledge. Patterson, K., Grenny, J., Maxfield, D., McMillan, R., & Switzler, A. (2000). Influencer . McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing.